citrussuggesting

Citrussuggesting is a term used in marketing and cognitive psychology to describe the use of citrus-related cues to influence perception, mood, and behavior. The concept encompasses environmental stimuli such as scent, color, imagery, and language that evoke associations with freshness, cleanliness, vitality, or zest, thereby guiding consumer judgments and choices. The idea is that exposure to citrus cues can prime related affective or semantic concepts, which can then bias evaluation of products or brands.

Origin and etymology: The term combines "citrus" with "suggesting" and was popularized in discussions of sensory marketing in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It is not tied to a single standardized framework but overlaps with broader research on priming, affective advertising, and environmental cueing.

Mechanisms and examples: In physical retail, lemon or orange scents, citrus-colored fixtures, and imagery of citrus fruits can create perceptions of cleanliness and freshness, potentially increasing sales of fruit, beverages, or cleaning products. In digital contexts, websites might use yellow or orange accents and citrus-related metaphors or copy to convey energy and immediacy. In experiments, researchers compare responses under citrus cues versus neutral controls to assess effects on liking, purchase intent, or perceived quality.

Applications and research: Citrussuggesting informs product design, store atmospherics, and ad campaigns. Researchers measure outcomes using surveys, choice tasks, or physiological indicators such as skin conductance or heart rate as proxies for arousal, while controlling for scent confounds and cultural associations.

Criticism and ethics: Critics argue that citrus cues amount to subtle manipulation and may produce inconsistent effects across cultures, settings, or individual preferences. Ethical use emphasizes transparency and consumer autonomy, with attention to avoid overstating benefits. See also priming, sensory marketing, aroma marketing, branding.